to Cry Wolf! We are an 18+ AU, intermediate to advanced Mercy Thompson/Alpha and Omega RP set in present day, in the Tri-Cities of Washington. We are a premium board with a 250 wordcount. Please make sure that you register with your characters name in Proper Case. Not in all caps. Example: Mercy Thompson. We welcome you to the site and if you have any questions don't hesitate to reach out to the staff.

No knowledge of the books is required. All the information needed is available on site. We ask that you read over the species information before rolling one of that type, as there are a few key differences between Mercyverse creatures and the ones you might know.

We put emphasis on the slice-of-life RP with the occasional event to throw things off. ;)

Skin made by Tana @ Cosmo, Shine, and ATF. Graphics, custom stats, forum, profile structure, mini profiles and coding tweaks thanks to Ara. Templates thanks to Becky of Candyland. All apps, threads, fae lore, and plots belong to their respective members of Cry Wolf. Most importantly the Mercy Thompson Universe is thanks to Patricia Briggs for creating such an interesting world for us to enjoy.

While male unicorns are often mistaken for nightmares, nightmares do exist separately as their own species. They are entirely female and extremely rare, requiring male unicorns to breed with in order to reproduce Any female offspring will be a nightmare, while males will be unicorns. Nightmares, however, have a difficult time conceiving and an even harder time finding males to breed with. Especially because they tend to form lasting bonds and mate for life.

Nightmares appear as one would expect: As large, black horses with flowing manes and tails. Their eyes are a unique trait, being either silver or red, and frequently rotating between the two based on their emotions. Many other fae consider them inept because of this trait as it betrays how they are feeling. Their glamour, however, does hide this.

They stand, roughly, the height of a small draft horse on average and possess a slim, lithe build. Their hooves are feathered and silvery. Faint bits of silver and white appear throughout their hide, making them look like the night sky, speckled with stars. The older a mare is, the more white she possesses. Ancient mares, over five hundred, have snow white manes and tails.

Abilities

Nightmares control bad dreams. They can give anyone a bad dream and their abilities can conflict with those of a sandman, causing confusing and weird results. However, while Sandmen might choose to offer good dreams to those they like, Nightmares have no such option. They deliver only bad dreams and their presence frequently inflicts them upon those nearby until they grow used to to the nightmare's presence. This is an unconscious act on the mare’s part, and these bad dreams aren’t nearly as potent as the ones purposely inflicted.

Walls do nothing to stop them, as they can render themselves noncorporeal and pass through them. Fences, however, can stop them unless they can be jumped.

Weaknesses

While nightmares possess the usual weakness to iron, their primary weakness is being bridled. Should someone manage to bridle a nightmare, they lose all their abilities and slowly turn into a normal mare, losing all sentience until the bridle is removed. This is a slow process and can take years, depending on the age of the mare. The older the mare, the longer the process and it’s considered ideal to capture them as fillies in order to bridle them and keep them for one’s own purpose.

Some attempt to bridle nightmares for the beauty of them, but a more common reason is to bribe them with removal of the bridle in return for inflicting devastating dreams upon their foes. This practice is, clearly, very uncommon.

They are weaker during the day and are frequently nocturnal. Their passive ability to pass along bad dreams is practically nonexistent during the day, and they cannot influence someone’s dreams during this time.

Dullahan are the infamous headless horsemen of legend. Horror stories abound about them, and they are widely feared and reviled. But their role is often misunderstood. Though occasionally sent by the Gray Lords as executioners, a Dullahan's true role is that of a guide and protector of the dead, and not even the fae leaders can truly control them.

Dullahan are not born, they are created. Each one was formerly a human ghost, one of obligation or duty unfulfilled. They make a pact with a Gray Lord, for the chance to continue their life, but few know exactly what they're getting themselves into, or how unwise it is to make deals with faeries.

Appearance unglamoured

Dullahans are armored figures on horseback. They can be male or female, and look as they did as a human, which does not affect their strength. Frailer-looking ones are as strong as burlier ones. They are clad in black armor. The only real difference is the fact that they are headless. The body either carries the head, or holds it on the saddlehorn. Their horse is a part of them, capable of being summoned or dismissed at will. The steed is pure black, with fiery eyes. Medievel weaponry is commonly carried on them: swords, axes, maces, and bows are the most common.

Strengths

Dullahans are physically strong, almost at the level of a werewolf, and almost as fast on the ground. Their horse is faster, capable of running down any prey. They heal almost as fast from any wound but one inflicted with gold. Their armor protects them from attacks, and their bodies are very resistant to damage. They lack the usual fae weakness to iron.

They can see and interact with ghosts and spirits, and can go incorporeal and invisible at will. This is taxing if used too often, and is usually used either as an escape or to escort a ghost without being seen, though walkers can see them.

They have a frightening visage, and can instill fear in those around them. Older Dullahan are better at this, and those with powerful wills may not be affected.

They are unaffected by the Wild Hunt, and react as neither predator nor prey. Their task is guarding and guiding the dead.

Weaknesses

While Dullahans are fearsome opponents, they cannot kill. A Dullahan could break every bone in someone's body, beat them to a pulp, or carve off their limbs, but unless their opponent is ordained to die, through what authority no one, not even the Dullahan themself, knows, the Dullahan cannot kill them.

While iron holds no fear for a Dullahan, gold does. Gold burns them much as iron does most fae, and cuts through their armor like butter. The simple sight of gold makes them uncomfortable, and all Dullahan have an innate dislike of it. Religious icons affect them in the same way; they cannot be warded off by one, but the sight of a religious icon, wielded by someone of true faith, makes them uncomfortable, and they will often opt not to be there.

While their bodies are resistant to damage and heal quickly, their heads are not and do not. The only way to kill a Dullahan is to destroy their head. If someone is able to take the Dullahan's head, their body is bound to obey them, though they are still bound by the inability to kill. But binding any fae to one's will is always a risky proposition...

Dullahan have limited access to glamour. The only form that they can take is the form of the human they once were.

Ankou can only be male. This is a limited Class C fae. Only one currently allowed on board.

A holdover of older times, Ankou are harbingers of death and watchers of the dead. They deliver warnings to those who are soon going to die (either verbally, or with a knock on their door), and collect the souls after those they warn have departed. They guard graveyards, to ensure that the dead have their peace; woe betide the person who disturbs the remains of the dead, because the Ankou will visit retribution on them swiftly, often taking the person’s life. Offend them, and your life may be shortened; help them, and you may find their favor. Ankou rarely bear ill will to anyone, save for if a person interferes with them performing their duties in a timely fashion; thus, they tend to be scrupulously polite, even if they are rather no-nonsense about what they do. Ankou are few and far between, and most have remained solely in Europe; even there, each has their own territory, and they do not cross into another of their kin’s space unless they have no other choice. It is almost unheard of for two to meet face to face.

Appearance:
Unglamoured, Ankou always appear as tall, thin men clad in black, with a large, black felt hat to obscure their face. Their faces are gaunt and haggard, and their hair is always long and completely white. They carry a scythe as a weapon, of which the blade glows in moonlight; they also always keep a bone with them at all times, which they use to hone the blade.

Strengths:
Ankou can sense if a person is going to die within the next year. They can also communicate with and collect the souls of the dead, and cross them into the afterlife - the soul generally doesn’t get a say in this. Ankou don’t have to wait for a person to die naturally, either; they are adept with their scythes and can kill offenders that way, and then cross the dead person’s soul afterwards. On the flip side, they can choose not to take someone who’s due to die, temporarily extending their life; this is something extremely rare and would take an acknowledged debt to do. In addition to the usual fae glamour, Ankou in their unglamoured form can shadow their facial features to help obscure them even from other fae and sidhe-seers.

Weaknesses:
The Ankou are not weak to iron and iron does not burn them; however, religion is a strong defense. Ankou are turned aside by the prayers of the devout or by religious objects held by someone who believes in that religion. If someone requests to speak with a religious leader (a priest, minister, rabbi, etc) before they die, the Ankou must honor the request and wait until their target is done. They cannot enter churches at all, save for on “The Night of Wonders”, now more commonly called Christmas Eve.

On Vampires:
Vampires throw off the Ankou’s abilities considerably. Ankou can sense if a person is going to die even if that death is part of being turned; however, they can’t cross that person’s soul, even if they’re on the spot at the moment of death. Once the person is a vampire, their soul cannot be crossed, even if the Ankou takes the vampire’s head off first.

On Reproduction:
Ankou do not and cannot reproduce sexually, although they have all the working parts to have sex. When one Ankou reaches their end, they create another in their place to continue the work; the new Ankou comes into being physically adult and will quickly learn how to do what Ankou do from innate knowledge.

Human myths of the caladrius treat them as a religious parable or analogue; while there are plenty of comparisons to be drawn, this is not actually the case. They are a type of healing fae, generally very gentle and compassionate, with the ability to draw the part or all of an illness of another into themselves, leaving those they’ve focused their abilities on well again. Because their abilities can prove lethal to themselves (or, potentially, to others), caladrius children are taught and nurtured carefully by caladrius adults without exception, such that they understand exactly what they can do, and how, and how to judge what may be too much to take. They are blessed (or cursed) with a strong sense of right and wrong, and find it very difficult to go against this moral compass, regardless of who or what they might be dealing with.

Appearance:
In their natural form, caladrius look like a cross between human and bird. Their wings start at their shoulderblades and are connected to their arms right up to their wrists, before splitting off to leave their hands and their primaries free of each other. The feathers are white, ranging from a pearly grey-white through pure white and descending into a rich cream, with hair that matches their plumage Their eyes range from very pale yellow to gold. Caladrius have human-shaped legs, and while their feet and hands are also largely human, they are tipped with short talons instead of nails. They have very fine, sparse white down on the backs of their feet, spanning up their shins to their knees, and reaching from the tops of their shoulders down to the backs of their hands.

Strengths:
Caladrius have the ability to absorb any illness or disease from humans and animals, from the common cold to something as severe as HIV/AIDS. They can then filter it out safely from their bodies over a period of time depending on the amount and severity of what they’ve absorbed (a lingering cough from a cold might take a day; something lethal would take months, assuming they took in that and nothing else… if they survive it themselves). They also can give an absorbed illness to another person, although this requires physical contact where absorbing does not.

Weaknesses:
Caladrius are not bothered at all by holy objects, scripture, sanctified sites or anything of the like; however, they do have the common fae weakness to iron. They are also vulnerable to the magics of black witches and can sometimes be temporarily snared by an elder vampire’s seduction. While not prone to catching illnesses on their own, they are prey to the symptoms and effects of any sickness they’ve currently absorbed and have yet to complete dispersing - although they can’t spread illness by contagion. If they cannot disperse a lethal/terminal illness quickly enough, they will die.

Passing Illness to Supernaturals:
If it’s alive and somewhat compatible with whatever sickness they’ve taken in, Caladrius can disperse the illness by passing it on just the same as they do to humans. That includes all kinds of magical humans and half-fae. It’s a lot more difficult to do to one of the supernatural community, however; it’s not a quick or subtle process, and the need for physical contact means it generally needs to be a willing subject. While they can’t pass illness to full fae, werewolves, or vampires, caladrius can benefit from many forms of magical healing, and a vampire’s bite will delay sicknesses from progressing as long as they continue to be fed on regularly.

Filtering Takes Time:
How long it takes for a caladrius to filter an absorbed illness depends on three main factors: the age of the caladrius, the severity of the illness, and if they are currently filtering more than one illness. The following are generalizations of how long it would take a young caladrius (under 100 years of age) to filter a single illness. For every 100 years of age, time is reduced by about 10%. For every additional illness being filtered at the same time, time is doubled.

Terminal illnesses or compounded severe illnesses carry a high likelihood of death to a caladrius. The rule of thumb is if the original carrier is likely to have died within the filtering time, the caladrius has the same span of time before they may suffer the same fate.

Legend has it that when Perseus beheaded Medusa, the blood which gushed forth from the Gorgon's severed neck mixed with the foam of Poseidon in the ocean waves and Pegasus was born into this world. Athena then carried the young Pegasus to Mount Olympus to be tamed and trained, housed in the massive stables of Mount Olympus, alongside the various chariot pulling horses of gods such as Helios, Poseidon and Zeus. Zeus would be the god to make the most use out of Pegasus, and Pegasus would become a weapon carrier of Zeus, sharing the role with gigantic eagles, and it was Pegasus who often carried the thunderbolts when Zeus went to war.

Some stories tell of Pegasus finding himself a mate in the form of Ocyrhoe. Ocyrhoe was the daughter of the centaur Chiron who had been transformed into a horse by Zeus, when she had revealed too much about the future. Pegasus and Ocyrhoe were said to have mated bringing forth Celeris and Melanippe. Some tell of these offspring of Pegasus being the forefathers of a new race of winged horses.

Whether this is fact, fiction, or some combination there of, only a few who still live know the truth, and none of them are willing to comment. What is known is that they are a fiercely protective and honorable species, they seek grand adventure but do not crave the fame that comes with heroic deeds. They simply crave the memory and experience of the adventure, like some ancient adrenaline junkie. The more adventure a Pegasus has seen, the more powerful they become. The more grand the adventure, the harder it is for them to turn down.

The Pegasus is a heavily built creature that closely resembles a light draft horse. They are solid of bone, heavily muscled, and thick of neck. Their powerful legs are heavily coated, often so much so as to hide the heavy, wide hoof beneath. Mature Pegasus' have a long, flowing mane and tail, often so long that they drag on the ground when they walk or trail out behind them in flight like a streamer. They may come in any color, though the most common are black, dappled grey, and white.

They possess a massive pair of wings, feathered and similar to an eagle, that sprout from the withers. These wings must be at least twice as wide as the Pegasus is long to hold it aloft, though young Pegasus are often able to glide when younger. Their wings continue to grow, though at a very slow rate once they hit maturity, as the Pegasus ages and the eldest of the species have truly massive wingspans.

Despite their size and heavy build Pegasus' are a quick and agile species. Even as humans they tend to be of a heavier build, with a grace that lends itself well to physical activity. It is not uncommon to find a Pegasus playing sports, or enjoying strenuous activities like rock climbing or spelunking.

One of the reasons for the myth of the Pegasus being Zeus’ weapon bearer is the species natural control of lightning. They can summon lightning at will, even on a cloudless day. In the young, this is frequently done in relation to their emotions, being difficult to control. As they grow older and more comfortable with themselves, however, they gain more control over their abilities.

The Pegasus, like all fae, possess a weakness to cold iron, which burns them badly, often leaving scars on their beautiful hides. They are a powerful creature and the only thing that can hold one is a chain of silver. The size of the chain does not matter, it can be as fine as a necklace or as thick as a man’s arm, if it is made of silver a Pegasus will not be able to break free.

Bridling a Pegasus with a fine silver bridle will have the same effect as bridling the Nightmare. He will lose all of his power and ability, and slowly turn into a normal stallion, wings slowly shrinking away with his sense of self. If a Pegasus is freed before his wings disappear, he may recover his sentience and slowly regrow his wings. If his wings have fully disappeared before he is freed, He will regain his sentience but he will never grow back his wings, and will forever be marked as a slave.

The ideal way to hold a Pegasus is to bind them with a set of silver horseshoes. A Pegasus shod in silver is bound to the one who forged the shoes, but otherwise retains all of his sentience and natural given abilities. The Pegasus may even be allowed to lead their life as they please when shod in silver, but he must follow the letter of his masters command when given and may be called to his master from great distances this way. When shod in silver the Pegasus' glamour will show a pair of thick silver bracelets on his wrists, decorative and beautiful. The Pegasus will never be able to remove its own shoes, but someone else may remove the shoes once the master dies and severs the bond.

The Pegasus is able to procreate with other equine Fae. Their preferred breeding partner is the Nightmare, as these couplings are more often successful. This coupling will result in female offspring being Nightmares, with male offspring being Pegasus. Unicorns also produce viable offspring, with females being Unicorns and males being split at 60/30 Unicorn/Pegasus. Pegasus tend to produce more female offspring over all, no matter whom they breed with. They are incapable of producing offspring with humans, or any none equine Fae.
It has been found that a concentration of the bloodline will on very rare occasion produce a female Pegasus. (Female pegasus are a class C and limited to 1 per player)

According to human lore, Grundles have a symbiotic relationship with elves, where they serve for a protected home. They are dedicated to their host family of elves and generally stay with the same family for generations, moving with them as necessity dictates. This is a very idyllic picture of what is actually going on.

In actuality, grundles serve any 'higher' fae and are far from symbiotic. If they- and by extension the faeries they serve- are under threat from a predator species, they faint or freeze and are abandoned. This allows their masters to escape scott free and likely with little remorse.

Grundles are the fainting goats of faerie society. As such, if they are not enslaved, they live in groups which help perpetuate their survival. They can communicate telepathically among themselves, allowing scouts to inform the group that they must flee if there is danger. After thousands and thousands of years, this anxiety and twitchiness has become an ingrained trait.

Like their Hob and Brownie cousins, a Grundle's diet consists mostly of bread, milk, and honey. They work for stronger fae both out of fear of them, and for this payment. If none of those things are available to eat, such as in the wild, they will eat wild mushrooms. They are not offended by gifts of clothes, and instead are more likely to be moved to tears by the idea that their masters care about them so much as to think of their basic needs. They can grow to be quite old, perhaps infinitely so, though if we are being honest very few manage to escape being eaten for that long.

Additionally, the modern grundle would prefer that you did not look up their species on urban dictionary, and requests to be called a "grundolyn" instead. As group-oriented as they are, and as much pride in their own as they have, it is not enough to counter the shame of modern slang.

Appearance unglamoured

Grundles are related to Hobs and Brownies, and so share many characteristics. They are predominately, but not entirely, male. They are very short, averaging about 2 1/2 feet, and maxing out around 3 feet. Their skin is a stony grey color, and they can have eye colors ranging from brown to yellow to blue and anything along that spectrum. They have large pointed ears, and tend to wear white, red, or black striped shirts.

Strengths

Their powers are limited to being telepathic among themselves, appear dead if threatened, and an obsessive attention to detail that will land in the 'weakness' list as well. In terms of Fae they are considered to be just about the weakest on the spectrum, and the stronger fae intend to keep it that way.

Weaknesses

Grundles are of course weak to iron and iron alloys. They faint or freeze when startled or threatened, which is both a strength and a weakness for obvious reasons. And they are prone to arithmomania, meaning obsessively counting things. They pay very close attention to things like how many people are in a room, or how many plates are on a table, or how many cars are in a parking lot. This could be training from being servants, or a defense mechanism to be constantly aware of threats. In trying to blend in with humans, it makes them very good bank tellers, accountants, stock brokers, and anything else involving keeping track of various sums of money.

Half Fae

A half-grundle is an unfortunate and rare creature. Not because they are especially hideous, or because of any kind of physical disability, but because they are so very human. The powers they inherit are simply an empathy with other grundles or a sympathetic personality. They favor their human parent in appearance, but are slightly shorter than average. They tend to faint at the sight of blood, and their 'fight or flight' reflex seems to be set on 'freeze'. It is also unfortunate that the species so prone to being eaten would produce half-fae, as they are born with an even larger bulls-eye on their backs.

A full-blooded grundle is almost always born from two grundle parents, as grundles tend to stick to their own kind. This also factors into why half-grundles are so unlikely.

Raiju, also known as the lightning beast, or lightning animal originates in japan. They were said to be the pets of the god Rajin, but in fact were under control of the Gray Lords for their speed and power.

Appearance:

The Raiju is a massive beast wrapped in lightning. The beast appears as either that of a huge white and blue wolf, tiger, weasel, cat, fox or even sometimes as a horse. The Raiju stands as tall as a house when unleashed from it's glamour, but can turn into a ball of lightning or become as small as a tiny spark. Their bodies are made of lightning, and their eyes range in a variety of colors.

Abilities:

The first notable ability of a Raiju is their thunder roar. The noise emitted from their mouth sounds exactly as thunder, inciting fear and terror in those that see them. Their next ability is their Lightning Arch, in which they are able to shoot lightning in a wave or line from their body. It is a very powerful ability and consumes a great deal of energy, the smaller the arch and more direct the less energy used. If they use too much energy they will have to hibernate or find some source of power to regain their energy. They are also able to turn into a ball of lightning and fly through the air. The Raiju is a very powerful beast, but luckily they have great personalities and are considered extremely docile even compared to humans, making them easy for the Gray Lords to keep control of. They are extremely fast and are used often to deliver messages from the Gray Lords to the reservations and other fae in the world.

Weaknesses:

Raiju tend to become highly agitated during thunderstorms, and jump from tree to tree as a strike of lightning, leaving marks behind, making them easy to track and hunt, them becoming tired when the storm dies down and seeking a place to rest, usually near some power lines etc. The Raiju like other fae are weak to cold iron and can be captured while sleeping with a collar made of such. Raiju also have to consume energy or electricity to regenerate themselves if they use all of their energy. This can result in huge electricity bills, and temporary weakness as they recharge.

Breeding:

The Raiju is capable of reproducing with other animal type fae, the species itself being a rare beast, female Raiju are considered incredibly rare indeed. Female Raiju have a higher chance of producing another of their species, making it about a 50 percent chance. A male with another animal fae has a ten percent chance, and with any humanoid species it is a nearly zero chance. Fae of other breeds, or humans are more often produced than Raiju.

Phoenix, Suzaku, Firebird,etc. The Phoenix has many names and the lore spans many centuries and regions. It is typically considered the symbol of rebirth and was seen first in Greek mythology.

Appearance:

The appeareance of the phoenix has been widely debated throughout the years. Some saying it looks like a large chicken, other a peacock. Size is also a rather widely argued fact. The phoenix itself however varies by regions.

The Chinese Phoenix tend to be the largest of the species, their body looking much like that of a huge peacock, though heavier in weight and not as delicate. Their colors vary from that of the peacock itself with blues and greens to that of reds and oranges.

The Japanese Phoenix is the smallest due to it's living upon a smaller continent surrounded by water. They look much closer to the peacock and are similar in colors and tones as to the Chinese, however their feathers are much longer and daintier. They have a long plume of feathers that start upon their forehead, spanning the entirety of their head much like a crown.

The Greek Phoenix looks closer to a chicken. It is large and rather than the waddle, feathers fall down it's face in place of such a thing. the tail however is still quite long, and the colors mimic that of roosters and mallards, very beautiful. It is the middle weight of the species.

The South American Phoenix is the final variety. It resembles that of the Hoatzin bird. The colors however are much brighter due to it's region, they vary wildly. In size it is closer to that of the Greek, but smaller than the Chinese.

Abilities:

While the phoenix will often times appear as a bird, there is much more to them then just that. It is a hiding mechanism. They can erupt their entire body into flames, their eyes glowing in any color of the rainbow like jewels within the flames. This form can be held for as long as needed. They are the bearers of life and death, being reborn from their own ashes. They can be reborn many times. It is also said that their tears can heal injuries and sickness. Within the wake of their fire and what it destroys their tears can cause new life to sprout.

Their fire is intensely hot, burning all it touches, and at the center of them burns a white and blue flame. This flame becomes larger with age, the more white their flame body the older and more powerful they are. They are said to be immortal, living and leaping through time with their rebirth.

Their bodies as birds of feathers are hot to the touch, something that translates even in glamour. Their bodies are always extra warm, making them great bed partners during the winter, and terrible ones during the summer. Obviously this means that they are immune to fire and burning.

Weaknesses:

The phoenix is such a formidable bird, that one would think they had no weaknesses. This is untrue. The phoenix if found within it's bird form can be killed with a bullet of iron through the chest. When the phoenix then dies, the egg may be removed from it's ash and it will no longer be reborn. The phoenix can also be captured in this same manner, as long as the egg and ash are scooped up together. The bird then locked within an iron cage. This will prevent the creature from being able to turn into it's flame form. The tears can be collected through their lack of freedom and used within spells.

Some phoenixes are even terrified of cold water. They carry umbrellas everywhere and heat the water in their shower to boiling temperatures before getting in.

Lifespan and Rebirth:

The lifespan of the typical phoenix ranges from 200 to 400 years before they die and are reborn. They can be killed as stated already, and will then be reborn. They turn to ashes when killed or die and turn into an egg. The egg form only lasts about a week or two before they hatch. They start from baby up, growing like humans would. They do not retain their former memories, but as they start to age they get glimpses of their past lives. The older they get the better they can recall their former lives. The rebirth cycle can continue indefinitely...

Reproduction:

Due to their ability to be reborn, there are not many phoenix in the world. They find it very difficult to reproduce, and maybe only two to three will be born to them per a single phoenix's long life time. It takes a very strong person to bare the child of phoenix, usually a Fae or someone with a strong connection to magic. (Fae, Walkers, Wizards, and Powerful Druids.) There is a myth that a human once gave birth to a phoenix child, but no one knows if this is true. A werewolf may be able to father a phoenix child if mated to her.

Fossegrim are only male. Their age is capped at 500.
Fossegrim are Nordic water fae, that is known for its fiddle playing. It plays the fiddle better than any mortal possibly could, and uses its skills to lure people to its waters and drown them. Fossegrim prefer waterfalls to rivers, but will settle for any water they can if the choices are slim. They tend to take up residence in a pool and only leave if they grow bored or uncomfortable. Or if a bad musician moves nearby.
Fossegrim cannot stand poorly played music and a wrong note causes them great discomfort. They are not physically harmed, but would much rather be anywhere else.

Fossegrim will teach others their skills, but it isn’t exactly an easy task to get one to agree. They require a goat thrown into the river with its head turned towards the waterfall (on a Thursday, specifically) or smoked mutton stolen from a neighbor for four Thursdays in a row. If the gifts are satisfactory, he will draw blood from each finger on your right hand by dragging them along the strings of a fiddle. Then, you’ll be able to play with a fossegrim’s skill.

Appearance:
Fossegrim appear as attractive men. Their hair is usually long and they are usually muscled and frequently prefer being shirtless or nude. Their skin is frequently pale, their eyes usually blues or greens.

Strengths Fossegrim can lure people to them with their playing and convince them to drown themselves with their music. This is usually only used on those that have offended them, however, as a fossegrim is much more fond of an audience than a corpse.

Physically, they are a little stronger than a human in similar physical shape. While underwater, they are difficult to see, not quite invisible, but blending into the water. They are excellent swimmers and cannot be drowned.

Weaknesses
Fossegrim possess the usual weakness to iron, but also require a consistent source of water nearby. They dehydrate quickly and many will go out of their way to make sure their home has a pool or pond they can retreat to if necessary. Being without a source of fresh water will very quickly be a death sentence.

Half Fae
Fossegrim half fae are only ever male and frequently only possess their parent's love of water and musical talent. They are, frequently, very attractive to boot. Fossegrim can produce half fae with humans readily, but producing a fossegrim child with any fae is slim. They are fairly rare as a whole.

An ancient race of fae, the Bastet predate human history. An entirely female race, they are closely tied with fertility and childbirth, but also are known as fierce warriors. These traits are what led them to be worshipped in ancient Egypt, though it is widely agreed that such fame was brought about by a single fae instead of the whole race.

Appearance: unglamoured
These fae appear as an amalgamation of lioness and human woman. Tall, they average between seven to seven and a half feet tall. Their physique is well muscled, but definitively feminine. Bastet have the head of a lioness, with powerful jaws that could easily crush bone. Most sport the golden eyes of a lion, complete with round pupils unlike that of smaller cats. Tawny fur covers their entire bodies, and a four foot tail sprouts from their spine just above their buttocks. Their hands are in the shape of a human’s, though instead of nails they have retractable claws at the end of each finger. In regards to glamour, they are like most other fae in that they can appear entirely human, though their eye color generally stays a light brown.

Strengths
Bastet are insanely fast and strong, rivaling even werewolves in that department. They are fierce fighters, especially when cornered or fighting to protect ones they consider under their protection. They are also known to be able to influence fertility and pregnancies, able to increase the chances of the former and ensure a healthy pregnancy.

Weaknesses
Like most other fae, cold iron can capture them or cause wounds that take longer to heal than normal, or even kill. Aside from that, one of their biggest weaknesses is their draw to pregnant women and children as they are extremely protective of both. One of the surest ways to capture one is to draw them in with one or the other, then cage them with iron. While not completely averse to it, they tend to dislike water as well.

Personality:
Bastet like to live in communal homes, either with other Bastet or any other species. Those that are sisters tend to live together for as long as possible, even after choosing a mate (if they do). That said, they are highly independent creatures, and don’t do well with taking orders. As the case with other fae, they are known to be rather vain, and highly prefer their natural form over a glamour, but recognize the need for it.

Diet:
These fae live entirely off of meat and dairy.

Reproduction:
To be so closely tied to fertility, Bastet have a low reproduction rate. They can mate with any species (Save for vampires, of course), and females will ALWAYS be Bastet, with males either be human or the type of fae of their fathers. As a whole, Bastet tend to raise their children within the communal group, with or without the father. Those that do not have such a group tend to raise their young on their own.

Hydra are a unique type of fae, in that their glamour separates them. It isn’t a simple masking of their true form, but an entirely secondary form. While in their true shape, a hydra is a creature with many heads, when glamoured a hydra becomes separate individuals. Each possessing their own personality. Usually, however, they are all the same gender and frequently possess many of the same features or builds. An individual glamoured hydra is still referred to as a head, just as they are when together.

Unglamoured,a full grown hydra will stand about ten feet tall at the shoulder, with at least two head on serpentine necks sprouting from it’s shoulders. It has a rough, lumpy hide similar to an alligator. They are usually shades of brown or green, though the odd one might spring up with muddied blue or yellow. Quadraped, each foot ends is razor sharp claws. Two tails help with balance.

They possess draconic looking heads, with narrow snouts and spines that run down their respective necks to their back. Each head varies just slightly in appearance, lending to the individuality of each one. Some will possess a different colour of eyes, others might have horns or longer spikes. The possibilities for difference is nearly endless, as they don’t seem to follow any theme beyond the colouration matching the rest.

Baby hydras start with two heads. They do not grow more as they grow older, but gain heads through losing one of their previous ones.

Strengths
The hydra’s strengths are the stuff of legend, and are pretty obvious if someone hears the name. For every head cut off, two grow back. This is almost always the original head and a new, additional head. As such, they cannot be killed simply by beheading them. So long as one head lives, so does the hydra.

Their blood is poisonous, though they protect it jealousy.

Weaknesses
When glamoured, every head of the hydra can be killed as easily as any human. However, if the remaining head(s) drop glamour and bring the deceased head back into them, they will return the life and sprout a new head-sibling.

The hydra’s primary weakness is fire. Burning the corpse of a glamoured hydra or cauterizing the stump of a neck eliminates that head and prevents it from growing any new ones from that stump.

Glamoured, hydras feel the need to stay near their other heads, mostly for protection and safety. Though, when a great distance is between heads, they frequently describe themselves as feeling lethargic and empty. They will be compelled to close the distance between their head-siblings and as a result, many heads opt to live together or at least in the same city, as state-wide is too great a distance. Too much distance between them, and they will find themselves fading out of existence until they simply vanish if not reunited. Hydra can only return to their true shape if every head is present, which makes weakening them surprisingly easy.

Full hydra can only be produced when two hydra couple.

Half-Hydra
Half-hydra are a weird thing. Only producing when a head couples with a human, half-hydra are only born in twins or triplets (or sometimes more, though this is as rare as it is among humans.) They will be entirely human in appearance, will not be able to join together and will feel empty if their sibling isn’t near or in close contact. Half-hydras will find it hard to move away from their siblings, and as a result many will live together.

Half-hydra are immune to poisons or venoms, though most never find this out. They are also harder to wound physically, but this is mostly chalked up to them simply being tough or lucky.